Sermon for 19 January 2025, Epiphany 2 C, John 2.1-11

Let us pray: Fill us with your Holy Spirit, that through us, your light may shine in all the world. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Let’s try to imagine the scene presented to us at the Wedding in Cana.

Where would Jesus be? Unlike the multitude of Last Supper images, Jesus was a guest here, probably a distant relative of the couple, and so putting him, his mum, and the disciples to the side of the action makes sense. Don’t worry, the wine wasn’t used up because Jesus brought along 12 of his closest followers to the festivities, the gospel shows that he had only gathered four of his closest companions; Peter, Andrew, Philip and Nathaniel, sometimes known as Bartholomew.

What about those water jars? Can you imagine them, set to one side? How big, how beautiful did they need to be? Something that holds 30 gallons needs to be the size of half an oil drum, so that’s a sturdy object. They were practical stoneware items that water could be scooped out of for ritual bathing as required by many Jewish laws. Can you imagine them? Filled to the brim with the water tension slightly bulging and shivering with vibrations from the party, my goodness, it was just waiting for a miracle!

It helps to remember when this happened in his ministry. Jesus gives us a clue when he brusquely answers his mother that his hour had not yet come, and checking out John’s gospel we know that this event happened within a few days of his baptism in the Jordan.

Jesus was probably still working out what had happened on that momentous day when the heavens had opened, the Holy Spirit had descended like a dove, and a voice had rumbled, “This is my son, the beloved.” Keeping the affirmation that he was God’s Son in mind, it is fair that Jesus might protest that his hour had not yet come. It was all so new. Did he realise what his mission would be? That might require a further wander in the wilderness…

His mother was not so hesitant. They are funny creatures, Mothers. They birth us, care for us, feed us, and even chastise us when required, but most of all, they champion us. They see our potential, our God-given talent, long before others and will encourage us to use it, even when it makes us awkward or embarrassed. Pushy mums are nothing new. Despite not being named in John’s gospel, Mary, the mother of Jesus, believed in her son’s gifts to help those around him long before he did.

And she definitely gave him a wee push by asking him to help his relative avoid the scandal of insufficient wine at his wedding. Frankly, Jesus’ answer was a bit snarky, a bit rude, – “what’s that got to do with me or you? My hour has not yet come.”

Perhaps Mary thought it less than courteous, too, so she declined to respond to her son but instead turned to the assembled servants, and instructed them to follow his instructions. She knew. She knew that he would find some way to help. He just needed a nudge to put his divine skills to use.

Have you noticed how others can often recognise our gifts more clearly than we can perceive? They see the presence of the Holy Spirit within us revealed through our gifts. St. Paul mentioned that the Holy Spirit can be revealed within us in many ways, from hospitality, generosity, and kindness to more specialised skills like discerning God’s will, interpreting scripture or what folk say when they speak in tongues. Regardless, others can more easily discern the light of Christ shining from us than we can ourselves.

From a standing start, the divine response to the risk of no wine was impressive. Similar to the account of feeding thousands later in the gospel, we witness the provision of abundance rather than just enough. The gospel says that six jars, each able to hold thirty gallons of water for ritual bathing, were filled to the brim with wine. There were no short measures.

Doing the sums, 6×30 gallon jars provides 180 UK gallons which is 818 litres or 1,090×0.75cl bottles of wine (That’s 91 cases). What an abundance of wine, certainly enough to finish off the party!

John called it the first of Jesus’ signs, rather than a miracle, but a sign of what or to where? The signs are flashes of God’s glory, hinting at what we can hope for in God’s Kingdom. Such an act of hospitality, even if it was only to help the groom and his family in a moment of approaching embarrassment, shows us that there will be no hunger, thirst, or shame in God’s Kingdom.

Everyone who tasted the excellent wine was impressed and rejoiced, unaware of its origin.

Those who knew that Jesus had made this happen, rejoiced over the revelation of a divine act in their midst. We might not witness miracles but we can feel joy when we see someone exercising their talents from God. To paraphrase Isaiah; ‘as we rejoice over the gifts of our neighbours, so shall your God rejoice over you.‘

We are a bit guarded, a bit doubtful, when it comes to attributing gifts and talents to the Holy Spirit. Could it really be a gift from God? Is it really a revelation of the Holy Spirit? St Paul encourages us to be more open and ready to embrace what seems ordinary but has extraordinary results in our wee church. God delights in us when we use those gifts to God’s glory.

Not all talents feel glorious; when your gift seems to be making coffee or dusting, it can feel far away from what we think of as service to God. Again, as St. Paul tried to explain, every role is a vital piece that makes our Body of Christ a precious reflection of God’s love.

We really should call our roles ministries, for that is what they are. Take the time to pause and feel God’s love in all we do, for it is as wonderful to our souls as winter sunshine on our faces.

Many of us have a sneaky suspicion that we have to earn God’s love and that it can’t be offered to all. It just is not true. If you can take one thing away from this, I pray it is this crucial point of God’s Good news to us.

We are blessed, we are loved and we are forgiven by God first, long before we turn in thanks to God.

Every day, whether or not we are in the season of Epiphany, we are called to watch for the ordinary things of life being transformed into extraordinary gifts of God. They are all around us.

Today’s miracle of Jesus changing water into wine is extraordinary. There’s more to learn from this, though. Considering the sheer quantity and reported quality reveals a peek into God’s magnificent future for each of us, full of rejoicing and celebration. A future without suffering, hunger or violence.

The steward at the wedding may have thought that the groom had saved the best for last, but this demonstration of abundant hospitality was Jesus just getting warmed up.

Friends, the best is still to come!

The Lord be with you!